A review by bookwormenthusiast
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.75


I loved every single part of this book! As a fan of John Green's other books and an avid watcher of Crash Course, I felt that this was an extension of everything else he's done. As I was reading, I couldn't help but hear John's voice, explaining his thoughts as he would in any number of his YouTube videos. This book was not only entertaining but made me think about so many things that I take for granted day to day. I was already familiar with most of these topics, so it simply reminded me how they fit into the grand scheme of things and made me consider my own experiences with them.

My biggest suggestion: don't read this book all at once, take a chapter or two a day. As much as I was intrigued by the writing and wanted to keep reading, I felt that I was absorbing too much information at once if I didn't take it a little at a time. Instead, by reading a chapter or two a day, I allowed myself to sit with what I had read a bit more and really process what I was reading.

While I wanted to give this a perfect 5 stars, I couldn't. First, there were a few mistakes within the writing that could have been picked up before publication. For example, in one of the chapters there was a footnote, but no indication within the text of what that footnote was in reference to. I usually don't mind when this happens in writing, mistakes can be missed, but since this is nonfiction, it took away a bit from the writing. Second, I felt that the use of pictures could have been used more. The one time it was used I felt more immersed within the writing and that both author and reader were on the same page. Also, having pictures only present in one chapter seemed a bit out of place.

Overall, this is one of those books that I feel everyone should read at least once in their lives. But for those who grew up with Crash Course and loved it, this should be at the top of your list.
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